19 multiple-choice (MCQ / objective) questions from this chapter, in the common exam-style shapes. Every question comes with an explanation along with the answer, so you remember why the option is correct, not just which one it is.
1 Direct Questions
Direct Questions
- 1 markIn which of these subjects does the chapter say a student does NOT start from zero?
(A) Sociology(B) Economics(C) History(D) Geography - 1 markAccording to the chapter, who already knows something about society and social relationships?
(A) No one, until they study Sociology(B) Only an eighteen-year-old(C) A six-year-old child(D) Only a trained sociologist - 1 markWhy does an eighteen-year-old already know a lot about their own society, according to the chapter?
(A) Because they have studied Sociology in school already(B) Because they live in that society and have grown up in it(C) Because society does not change much(D) Because textbooks are taught from a young age - 1 markWhat does the chapter mean by ‘unlearning’ in the context of Sociology?
(A) Forgetting all of History and Geography(B) Setting aside existing common-sense ideas about society before studying it sociologically(C) Reading the textbook a second time(D) Failing an exam and repeating a class - 1 markDoes the chapter say our common-sense beliefs about society are necessarily wrong?
(A) No, they are complete, so they need no revision(B) Yes, because they are learnt outside school(C) No, they are not necessarily wrong, but they are partial(D) Yes, only for people under 18
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): A student of Sociology must unlearn common-sense knowledge about society.
Reason (R): Common-sense knowledge is acquired from the viewpoint of one’s own social group and is therefore partial.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A(B) Both A and R are true, but R does not correctly explain A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): Self-reflexivity requires the self-inspection to be critical, quick to criticise and slow to praise oneself.
Reason (R): Self-reflexivity is the ability to turn one’s own gaze back towards oneself.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A(B) Both A and R are true, but R does not correctly explain A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch List I (Chapter) with List II (Topic).
List I: (i) Chapter 5 (ii) Chapter 7 (iii) Chapter 1 (iv) Chapter 2
List II: (1) Project work suggestions (2) Introducing Indian society (3) Inequality and exclusion (4) Demographic structure
(A) i-1, ii-3, iii-2, iv-4(B) i-3, ii-2, iii-1, iv-4(C) i-4, ii-1, iii-2, iv-3(D) i-3, ii-1, iii-2, iv-4 - 1 markMatch List I (Term) with List II (Meaning), as the chapter defines each.
List I: (i) Self-reflexivity (ii) Personal trouble (iii) Social issue (iv) Unlearning
List II: (1) About large groups, not individuals (2) Setting aside common-sense ideas before studying society sociologically (3) Turning your gaze back on yourself, critically (4) An individual worry with meaning limited to one person
(A) i-2, ii-1, iii-4, iv-3(B) i-3, ii-4, iii-1, iv-2(C) i-3, ii-1, iii-4, iv-2(D) i-4, ii-3, iii-2, iv-1
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markStatement I: Common-sense knowledge about society is always factually wrong.
Statement II: Common-sense knowledge about society is partial, meaning incomplete and biased.
(A) Statement I is false, Statement II is true(B) Statement I is true, Statement II is false(C) Both statements are false(D) Both statements are true - 1 markStatement I: According to the chapter, caste and tribe are examples of identities that place a person on the social map.
Statement II: According to the chapter, only age determines a person’s place on the social map.
(A) Both statements are true(B) Statement I is false, Statement II is true(C) Both statements are false(D) Statement I is true, Statement II is false
5 Chronological Ordering
Chronological Ordering
- 1 markArrange these in the order the book previews them.
1. Cultural diversity
2. Project work suggestions
3. Inequality and exclusion
4. The market as a social institution
(A) 3-4-2-1(B) 4-3-1-2(C) 1-2-3-4(D) 2-1-3-4 - 1 markArrange the chapter’s own reasoning in the correct logical order.
1. This common-sense knowledge is ‘partial’: incomplete and biased
2. We acquire common-sense knowledge about society while growing up
3. So a student of Sociology must first unlearn this common-sense knowledge
4. This knowledge comes from the viewpoint of our own social group
(A) 2-4-1-3(B) 3-1-2-4(C) 1-2-3-4(D) 4-2-1-3
6 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 markSociology’s ability to help you look at yourself ‘from the outside’ is called ______.
(A) a social issue(B) common sense(C) demography(D) self-reflexivity - 1 markThe sociologist who distinguished between personal troubles and social issues, according to the chapter, is ______.
(A) Max Weber(B) C. Wright Mills(C) Emile Durkheim(D) M.N. Srinivas
7 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markWhich of these is NOT one of the identities the chapter gives as an example on the ‘social map’?
(A) Favourite sport(B) Economic class(C) Religious community(D) Regional/linguistic community
8 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
A student once said, “I already know how society works, so Sociology should be an easy subject.” The chapter shows that this prior knowledge is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Because everyone grows up inside a society, nobody starts Sociology from zero the way a six-year-old starts History from zero. But that same familiarity is also a problem: the knowledge we pick up while growing up comes from the viewpoint of our own social group, so it usually shows us only part of social reality, and it is liable to be tilted towards our own group’s interests. Learning Sociology properly, the chapter says, therefore begins with unlearning this common sense.
- 1 markAccording to this passage, what makes common-sense knowledge about society only ‘partial’?
(A) It is taught formally in school(B) It never changes over time(C) It comes from the viewpoint of our own social group(D) It is always completely wrong - 1 markWhat must happen, according to the passage, before Sociology can be learned properly?
(A) The student must be over eighteen(B) The student must already have a job(C) The student must forget all other subjects(D) The student must unlearn existing common-sense ideas about society
9 True / False
True / False
- 1 markConsider these statements.
(i) The chapter says self-inspection must be critical.
(ii) The chapter says common-sense knowledge about society is never partial.
(A) Only (i) is true(B) Both are true(C) Only (ii) is true(D) Both are false
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (A) In one important sense, Sociology is unlike other subjects: everyone already knows something about society before studying it, whereas no child is expected to already know History, Geography or Economics when they come to school.
- (C) The chapter gives the example that even a six-year-old already knows something about society and social relationships.
- (B) The chapter is explicit that this knowledge comes from living in and growing up in society, not from having studied it.
- (B) Unlearning means setting aside our existing common-sense notions about society so that a sociological, rather than common-sense, study of society can begin.
- (C) The chapter says these beliefs are not necessarily wrong, though they can be; the real problem it names is that they are ‘partial’.
Assertion-Reason
- (A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A: it is exactly because common-sense knowledge comes from one’s own social group’s viewpoint (and is therefore partial) that a student of Sociology must unlearn it.
- (B) Both A and R are true, but R does not correctly explain A. R gives the general definition of self-reflexivity; the specific requirement that self-inspection must be critical is a separate point the chapter adds.
Match the Following
- (D) Chapter 5 = inequality and exclusion, Chapter 7 = project work suggestions, Chapter 1 = introducing Indian society (this chapter), Chapter 2 = demographic structure.
- (B) Self-reflexivity = turning your gaze back on yourself critically; personal trouble = an individual worry limited to one person’s perspective; social issue = about large groups; unlearning = setting aside common sense before sociological study.
Statement-Based Questions
- (A) Statement I is false: the chapter never says common sense is always wrong. Statement II is exactly the chapter’s own position.
- (D) Statement I is true: caste/tribe is one of several identities the chapter lists. Statement II is false: age is only one of several identities, not the only one.
Chronological Ordering
- (B) The book’s own order is Chapter 4 the market, Chapter 5 inequality and exclusion, Chapter 6 cultural diversity, Chapter 7 project work, so 4-3-1-2.
- (A) The chapter’s logic runs: we acquire common sense growing up, it comes from our own group’s viewpoint, that makes it partial, so we must unlearn it, i.e. 2-4-1-3.
Fill in the Blanks
- (D) The chapter names this ability self-reflexivity (or reflexivity).
- (B) The chapter attributes this distinction to C. Wright Mills, described as a well-known American sociologist.
Odd One Out
- (A) The chapter’s examples are age group, region/language, economic class, religion, and caste/tribe. Favourite sport is not mentioned anywhere in the chapter.
Passage-Based Questions
- (C) The passage explains that this knowledge comes from our own social group’s viewpoint, which is exactly why it is partial (incomplete and biased).
- (D) The passage states that learning Sociology properly begins with unlearning this common sense.
True / False
- (A) (i) is true, exactly as the chapter states. (ii) is false: the chapter says the problem with common-sense beliefs is that they are partial.
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